Toronto Maple Leafs’ Dion Phaneuf has grown into a leader

Toronto Maple Leafs Dion Phaneuf (right) celebrates scoring his teams game tie-ing goal as Philadelphia Flyers Luke Schenn (left) and Wayne Simmonds (centre) look on during first period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Monday February 11, 2013.Photo by
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — There are those — whether they are living in Toronto or in another city — who will never be fans of Dion Phaneuf. It does not matter how many points he puts up or how many minutes he plays on a playoff-bound Maple Leafs team, he will always have his detractors.

Some of it is jealousy. Some of it is ignorance. Some of it is because he is the personification of the team he captains: brash and seemingly overrated.

“He’s definitely a polarizing figure,” teammate John-Michael Liles said. “He’s a vocal person. He doesn’t back down and plays a tough, hard-nosed game. You’re in a big market, there’s obviously a lot of media attention, and that’s how it is sometimes. There’s always going to be people poking at you or whatever, but for the most part I think he does (such) a good job that it’s white noise for him.”

As Liles said, this comes with the territory. When Mats Sundin succeeded Doug Gilmour as Leafs captain, many believed the quiet Swede was the wrong man for the job. And in his fourth year as captain, the white noise is starting to subside because of Phaneuf’s efforts.

It helps that unlike last season, when Toronto crashed and burned down the final stretch, the Leafs managed to clinch a playoff spot and appear to be heading in the right direction. But the bigger thing is Phaneuf, a 28-year-old veteran on the youngest team in the NHL, is starting to grow more comfortable in a leadership role that was thrust upon him just months after being acquired in a 2010 trade.

You can see it in his game, where the big-shooting, big-hitting defenceman is having a his best season with the Leafs — he is tied for third among NHL defenceman with nine goals, is sixth with 27 points, and eighth in minutes played. And though he still seems overly rehearsed in interviews, his teammates say they can see it in the dressing room, where the usually vocal leader has learned the “less is more” approach.

“Leadership isn’t just the guys that are wearing the letters,” Phaneuf said. “It’s collectively as a group. And I think that definitely takes the load off the guys that are wearing the letters. It’s shared leadership.”

Phaneuf is still the team’s loudest voice, but with the addition of Jay McClement and Joffrey Lupul as alternate captains, he now has help spreading the message.

“What we’ve tried to do is tone everything down from a demanding standpoint and ask other people to share in the responsibility of leadership,” head coach Randy Carlyle said. “We’ve asked Dion to pull back in his message at times, that he has a support group and we’ve built a support group around him and the rest of the players that we’re not really looking at one individual to bear all the responsibilities for the success or failures of the hockey team.”

Still, Phaneuf has been one of the horses who have pulled the team to its first playoff appearance since 2004. And it goes beyond the numbers he is putting up.

As captain, he played a major role in getting the rest of the players to buy into Carlyle’s defence-first system. For Phaneuf, it meant playing big minutes against the other teams’ top lines, while playing mentor to rookies Mike Kostka and Korbinian Holzer. But it also meant playing a safer, more conservative game that had the potential of reducing his offensive opportunities.a

TORONTO — There are those — whether they are living in Toronto or in another city — who will never be fans of Dion Phaneuf. It does not matter how many points he puts up or how many minutes he plays on a playoff-bound Maple Leafs team, he will always have his detractors.

Some of it is jealousy. Some of it is ignorance. Some of it is because he is the personification of the team he captains: brash and seemingly overrated.

“He’s definitely a polarizing figure,” teammate John-Michael Liles said. “He’s a vocal person. He doesn’t back down and plays a tough, hard-nosed game. You’re in a big market, there’s obviously a lot of media attention, and that’s how it is sometimes. There’s always going to be people poking at you or whatever, but for the most part I think he does (such) a good job that it’s white noise for him.”

As Liles said, this comes with the territory. When Mats Sundin succeeded Doug Gilmour as Leafs captain, many believed the quiet Swede was the wrong man for the job. And in his fourth year as captain, the white noise is starting to subside because of Phaneuf’s efforts.

It helps that unlike last season, when Toronto crashed and burned down the final stretch, the Leafs managed to clinch a playoff spot and appear to be heading in the right direction. But the bigger thing is Phaneuf, a 28-year-old veteran on the youngest team in the NHL, is starting to grow more comfortable in a leadership role that was thrust upon him just months after being acquired in a 2010 trade.

You can see it in his game, where the big-shooting, big-hitting defenceman is having a his best season with the Leafs — he is tied for third among NHL defenceman with nine goals, is sixth with 27 points, and eighth in minutes played. And though he still seems overly rehearsed in interviews, his teammates say they can see it in the dressing room, where the usually vocal leader has learned the “less is more” approach.

“Leadership isn’t just the guys that are wearing the letters,” Phaneuf said. “It’s collectively as a group. And I think that definitely takes the load off the guys that are wearing the letters. It’s shared leadership.”

Phaneuf is still the team’s loudest voice, but with the addition of Jay McClement and Joffrey Lupul as alternate captains, he now has help spreading the message.

“What we’ve tried to do is tone everything down from a demanding standpoint and ask other people to share in the responsibility of leadership,” head coach Randy Carlyle said. “We’ve asked Dion to pull back in his message at times, that he has a support group and we’ve built a support group around him and the rest of the players that we’re not really looking at one individual to bear all the responsibilities for the success or failures of the hockey team.”

Still, Phaneuf has been one of the horses who have pulled the team to its first playoff appearance since 2004. And it goes beyond the numbers he is putting up.

As captain, he played a major role in getting the rest of the players to buy into Carlyle’s defence-first system. For Phaneuf, it meant playing big minutes against the other teams’ top lines, while playing mentor to rookies Mike Kostka and Korbinian Holzer. But it also meant playing a safer, more conservative game that had the potential of reducing his offensive opportunities.

At first it did. Phaneuf had no goals and just one assist in his first 11 games. But with three games remaining, he seems to have integrated both aspects and is not only having his best statistical season in Toronto — he would be on pace for 16 goals and 49 points in an 82-game season — but one of the best of his career.

“Obviously, I’m going to stand by my teammate,” Kostka said. “But based on the success he’s had, he’s proven he’s one of the top defencemen in the league.”

Who knows, if Phaneuf leads the Leafs to playoff success, he just might get his critics to start falling in line, too.

At first it did. Phaneuf had no goals and just one assist in his first 11 games. But with three games remaining, he seems to have integrated both aspects and is not only having his best statistical season in Toronto — he would be on pace for 16 goals and 49 points in an 82-game season — but one of the best of his career.

“Obviously, I’m going to stand by my teammate,” Kostka said. “But based on the success he’s had, he’s proven he’s one of the top defencemen in the league.”

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